Business

By: Alex Nielsen— New York, NY—Mission Capital Advisors, a leading national real estate capital markets solutions firm, has announced that its Asset Sales Group is marketing two well known Muncie properties in an online auction to be held December 3-5. Both properties will be auctioned individually on the RealINSIGHT Marketplace platform, with the bidding window opening on December 3rd and closing on December 5th. The properties were previously occupied by the Marsh grocery chain – or its LoBill Foods brand – which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017 and was subsequently liquidated. Both buildings are fully vacant. The retail centers are…

By: Marc Ransford— Muncie, Indiana — Young innovators from across Indiana may learn more about the entrepreneurial process through a pitch competition — and win up to $100,000 in prizes — co-sponsored by Ball State University in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) and the Indiana Department of Education (DOE). Innovate WithIN Pitch Competition, now in its second year, is designed for high school innovators who have an idea for a business, product, service, technology component, or other venture that helps identify Indiana as the place to start and grow a business or helps drive the state forward and sustain…

By: David Huhnke— Muncie, Indiana—On November 3, Old National Bank held its annual 100 Men Who Cook event for the Community Champions Fund, which raised over $90,000. The Community Champions Fund will consider support to not-for-profits, civic, business, and government organizations to fund the development and delivery of innovative solutions, otherwise unavailable in our community, designed to make our community a safer place to live, work, and play. Since 2015, the Community Champions Fund has awarded over $320,000 to 36 different organizations. Old National Bank extends it sincere appreciation to all sponsors, chefs, and those in attendance for making this…

By: Mike Rhodes— Carmel, IN—The Indiana Broadcasters Association (IBA) presented their 31st Annual Spectrum Awards on Thursday, November 1, 2018 in ceremonies held in Carmel, IN. The IBA’s Spectrum Awards recognizes the “Best in Broadcasting” over the past year, and Muncie’s Woof Boom Radio was well represented with multiple Spectrum Awards. Awards were given in two markets: Market #1 consists of Indianapolis, Evansville, Fort Wayne, and South Bend based broadcasters. Market #2 consists of broadcasters throughout the rest of the state. The Spectrum award for “Best Commercial in Market #2” went to Woof Boom Radio’s Simon Hoying for his “Muncie Children’s…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—A few items of classic rock history made their way into Gordy Art and Framing Co. in downtown Muncie last week. Mark Perretta works at Gordy’s and had the opportunity to frame a number of original pieces of memorabilia from the classic rock group Pink Floyd. Russ Castillo is a former Muncie resident who recently moved to Santa Monica, CA. Castillo worked in the recording industry during the creation of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” album and before moving to California, he had an open house during the Old Washington Street Festival. Perretta attended the open house…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—After a 19 year hiatus, the NAACP held its 2018 State Convention in Muncie at the Horizon Convention Center, October 25-27. The last NAACP  State Convention to be held in Muncie was in 1999 at the Roberts Hotel. At a press conference at the Horizon Convention Center, Mayor Dennis Tyler said, “I’m very honored for the State NAACP convention to be here. I think what you’re seeing—with the type of sponsors we have—Muncie is a very proud, diverse community that cares about each other. I hope when you leave here, you’ll say, ‘We really need to…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, Indiana— The 44thAnnual Indiana Society for Respiratory Care State Conference (ISRC) was held at the Horizon Convention Center, September 13-14. ISRC is a professional organization that represents Respiratory Therapists in Indiana. The conference offered continuing education opportunities for practitioners who work in the areas of homecare, acute care, neonatal, intensive care, diagnostics, sleep centers and more. The mission of the Indiana Society for Respiratory Care (ISRC) is to provide proactive leadership in the delivery of Respiratory Care and to promote professionalism among Respiratory Care Practitioners. Susan VonTobel was chair of the program committee for the ISRC…

By: Ben Freeman, Attorney at Law— Muncie, IN—When starting a business, the entrepreneur has several options for organizing a company. Choosing the right type of organization is important. Many small businesses operate as a sole proprietorship or a partnership. These types of organizations are easy to establish and at little or no cost to the entrepreneur. Corporations, on the other hand, can be very complex and require the dedication of time and money to manage properly. The limited liability company (LLC) offers a unique middle ground approach to organizing a business that includes the ease and flexibility of the sole…

By: First Merchants Corporation— Muncie, IN—First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ – FRME) has reported third quarter 2018 net income of $41.1 million, an increase of 69 percent, compared to $24.4 million during the same period in 2017.  Earnings per share for the period totaled $.83, an increase of 66 percent, compared to the third quarter of 2017 result of $.50 per share.  Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 totaled $117.4 million, compared to $71.7 million during the same period in 2017.  Year-to-date earnings per share totaled $2.37, an increase of $.74 per share, or 45 percent, over…